Photographer&#39;s tray.



N0.'632,220. Patented Aug. 29, I899. W. H. LEWIS.

PHOTDGRAPHEBS TRAY.

(Application filed Apr. 6, 1899.)

(No Model.)

U ITED STATES \VlLLlAM ll. LEWIS, OF HUNTINGTON,

PATENT UFFICE.

NEV? YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF- TO THE E. d: II. T. ANTHONY d; JOMPANY,OF NEW YORK, N.- Y.

PiiorooRAPHi 220, datedAugust 29, 1899.

Application filed [liaril 6, 1899. Serial No 711,928. (No model.)

To all 1071/0112, if; many concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM II. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of'lluntington, in the county of Sufifollc and State ofNew York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inPhotographers Trays, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to an atlachment to photographers trays whereby thenegatives may be quickly and easily liitcdtherefrom afteror-duringdevelopment.

The following is a description of my invention, reference being had tothe accompany ing drawings, in which Figure 1 illustrates 'a plan viewof the invention. Fig. 2 illustrates a transverse ver Heal-sectionalView on'thc line 1 1' ofFig. "1", also showing in dotted lines anegative and the lifter in operation. Fig. 3 is a perspective of thenegativelifting device.

In the description hereof I explain at length the form. of tray in whichI prefer to embody my invention, although it is not essential that it beemployed in conjunction with trays hav ing all the beneficial featurespresent in the one here described and claimed by me.

M y trays are preferably made of aluininiu m. The metal is firs'oin theshape of flat plates of suitable size. First recesses are out out of thefour edges of the plate, leavin semicircular parts from which therounding cornerpieces A A, &c., are made. The metal may be then putbetween suitable swaging-dies and pressed up into the'form of a tray ordish, as shown. In this swaging operationthe corners are turned upwardlyand rounded, as shown, so that the ear-like projections A are formed.

B B are slots cut in the sides of the tray, as near the top thereof. aseoni' euient, within which are placed the plate-lifter O. The lat ter ismade in the general form shown in Fig. 3-that is to say, it has aforwardly ezc tended end a, an n pwardly-rising part 2), an proximatelyatright angles to the part a, and. a thunilrpiece c, which is bent at areverse angle to that of the part b and which is preii erahly enlargedlaterally, as at (Z (2, so that when pressure is applied upon the part cthe 5b lifter as a whole will not he pressed through the slot, hutwili'felcrum on the edges thereof insnch manner thatthe this pro ectingend a will be lifted from the bottom of the tray,

carrying the negative 2 (which maybe either ,a plate or him;npwardiynvith it, as illustrated in dotted. lines in Fig. 2. In this waythe annoying clawing for the negative is entirely avoided andconvenience in develop ing'and washing greatly secured. Of course 6 9"the part a of the lifter engages with the non sensitized side of thenegative. I

The lifter ,C can he removed at will from the slot in one side of thetray and placed in that at the other side. This is a great conven'ience, because some trays are decidedly oblong-in tot-mend. it isusually desirable to lift the negative at one of the longer edges ratherthan at one of its shorter ends. Also in transportation anci'dnring useit is frequently desirable to remove the lifter from the tray altogetherfor convenience and also that it be not injured. Also in'some dark roomsthe table or sink in which the washing is done is of suehshape that thetray necessarily has to lie with its long sidespresented in a certaindirection and it is usually more convenient to have the lifter at theright or left hand end of the tray rathorthan at the front or hackthereof, Furthermore,by transferring the lifter from one side of thetray to the other the tray may frequently be used for negatives muchsmaller than its bottom area and still-engage with the lifter,

Owing" to my trays being made of alu minium they are yer light in weightand are-not af-- fected by the'ohcmicals used in. photographicprocesses, yet they have decided stiffness and strength, so that thereis no necessity for reinforcing their upper edges (as is usually theease with other metal trays) by rolling them over or Wiring them. Thechemicals are apt to get into the rolledbver portion Whether a wire isinclosed or not, and corrosion and the rapid destruction of thetrayfollow therefrom.

Haviil'g described my invention, I claim-- The comliination o anhotographers tray,

waving a slot in its 5' w, Signefi at Huntington, in the county ofSuffolk and State of New York, this 1st day of device made of a. place04 mg revevse an 1es,a.s shown, ikpri! A. D. .1899. pass through me5101'; 15;: 5h YVILLIAM H. LEWIS. cflxer and t0 pmjecu Vfitnesses:

hwy and to fuicrum thew-om f0? DOUGLASS CONKLXN,

